Finally, it seems, Michael Clarke is winning over the Australian public. Australians do not appoint their cricket captains lightly, nor often. Since the lachrymose departure of Kim Hughes almost three decades ago, he has been preceded first by Allan Border, then successively Mark Taylor, Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting, four captains with 277 matches in charge between them and 147 victories. Each fitted the Australian stereotype of chiselled-jaw, stubble-featured, narrow-eyed, gum-chewing, overt toughness.

Then Ponting lost the Ashes for the third time, broke a finger and in came the antithesis: a smooth-skinned, bright-eyed, baby-faced fellow from the metrosexual generation, with his tattoos and celebrity girlfriend, and image promotion from an early stage in his career. A brilliant batsman, but he didn't seem to slot in to what, beyond the position of prime minister is regarded by many as the highest-profile appointment that Australian society can offer. It was hard to pinpoint. Something about his persona, the publicised rows that he had with Ponting and Simon Katich, the impression of inappropriate ambition when installed as Ponting's understudy.

"Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown," said Shakespeare's Henry IV, and that appeared to be the case with Clarke. No one enjoys being disliked but as long as they carry respect they can endure it. As Clarke took over, though, it seemed he was neither particularly admired nor respected beyond the confines of the team. He struggled for runs. But then the change came. He gained the unequivocal support of Ponting, which was important, and backed the former captain in return. He insisted on, and was given, a say in the change of the administrative and managerial structure around the team, taking it beyond merely inheriting something from another.

Gradually, too, he started to establish himself as a thoughtful proactive tactician and reader of the game. And the runs began to come, not just any old runs, but brilliant ones. No finer innings was played last year than his unbeaten 151 in Cape Town out of 284, and undeserving of being in a losing cause. Now, in 17 innings as captain, he is averaging more than 62 (an unbeaten triple century helps, of course) with four hundreds against a career average of 48.65 but one of 46.97 before he was made captain.

Nothing he achieves hereon will be as important to him as this 329 at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Over the course of 10 hours and more, this was special. In all Test history there have been 25 triple centuries, six of them to Australians previously. We seem to be in the age of massive individual scores now, and 10 of those have come since the turn of the millennium, a function of bowling standards in some quarters; equipment; pitches; boundaries; and, crucially, given the time required to bat to achieve such scores, an almost unrecognisable level of fitness (the great Inzamam-ul-Haq excepted from this, of course) which aids concentration. By and large, scoring rates have increased too, which leaves more time to go for such totals.

Clarke himself had the opportunity to take his innings to a higher statistical plane still. There were still seven and a half sessions of the match remaining when, with Michael Hussey reaching 150, he declared. In the circumstances he could have been forgiven for putting the hammer down, having a charge, and still leaving India a tricky hour or so and then two more days batting. Lara's record was 71 runs away, justifiably and unselfishly within reach and there would have been few who did not expect him to go on or would have begrudged it. It was a clever declaration for all that, taking into account the possibility of rain hampering their efforts to win, and knowing that they could not lose.

Beyond that, though, came Bradman's 334. A mythology seems to have grown around this, with Taylor equalling it in Peshawar and passing up the chance to go beyond by declaring overnight (although he had had a good crack at it as the previous day drew to a close). It was not something that appeared to bother Matthew Hayden when he made 380 in Perth but still the legend of Bradman persists.

Clarke insists that this figure was not on his mind, and that chuffed as he was to have made such a score, everything he does is directed at the team's success first and foremost. It would be a churl who did not believe him. With that final gesture, he has sealed his place. There will still be those who do not take to him or what he appears to represent of modern Australian society. But goodness, on his own ground, before a large crowd, he has earned respect. He will be there for a long while now.